From Grasse, 13byHC is the cream of the crop for tattooed skin (and not only!)

Efficiency. This is the key word for the products offered by the couple Lauris Giacalone and Mary Allaria from the InnovaGrasse incubator, where they have been based for three years. The company Health Care, which he co-founded in 2019, was originally based in Sophia Antipolis. It was a wellness center, but shaken by the Covid-19 epidemic, the duo had to pivot. Led by Lauris Giacalone's training as a naturopath, he embarked on the adventure of cosmetics applied to tattoos in 2020 after Lauris Giacalone had his wife's face tattooed on his arm and was given a cream to maintain it. He says, grimacing: "It was greasy. Very greasy. And just as chemical. It made me want to learn more about this market. I thought we had to do better. Offer a healthier, more natural product."

Scientific Committee

And they did it, surrounded by a scientific committee composed of Philippe Andres, dermatology researcher, Arnaud Gea, biologist, Caroline Avetand, tattoo artist in Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey and Julie Aymé, naturopath in Bargème. A year of research and development later, after the 13th formulation, the product is there. It will be called 13byHC . "Hemp, coconut, castor oils, essential oils of lavender and Corsican immortelle..., explains the co-founder. All the ingredients have scientifically proven properties. The cream is vegan, without additives, without petroleum products, it is perfect for maintaining tattooed skin, and even skin, period."

150 partner tattoo artists

Lauris Giacalone will explain that a tattoo is a break in the skin. A wound. Pigments are injected into the dermis [the middle layer of the skin, editor's note] which must heal. And for that, the body's natural water loss must be slowed. Yes, the body can do the work on its own, but, Lauris Giacalone will tell you, the skin must be cared for so it doesn't dry out too quickly, so that the work you paid a small fortune for on your arm, leg, or back remains pleasant to look at for as long as possible. The two directors are targeting professionals to market 13byHC, and already, some 150 tattoo artists are affiliated with the brand, who offer their clients a kit that includes 13 cream and a QR code for personalized monitoring of the client's healing progress. The cream, which is said to have other benefits, particularly against acne, is manufactured in Pégomas in Frédéric'M's laboratory.

Health Care also offers a 15-module online training course on tattoo healing, which is very useful for tattoo artists, a profession for which there is no state diploma.